28th May, 2012
A 23-year old girl, Blessing Eyo Okon, a hair dresser, was electrocuted at about 12:45 pm on Friday afternoon when a Power Holding Company of Nigeria (P H C N ) cable cut and fell on the floor of her hair dressing shop at 25, Mount Zion Road By Inyang Edem Street, in Calabar South during rain fall.
The lady, a source who shares the shop with Blessing told P.M.NEWS, was attending to a customer when rain began to fall. “Suddenly the PHCN cable over head their shop cut and fell on the floor of the shop and since the floor is covered with water, it began to shock those in the shop but Blessing was the most affected because her legs were wet” Grace, Blessing’s colleague said.
She said the entire vicinity was engulfed in flames “as if somebody poured petrol inside fire and Blessing had burns on her stomach and legs.”
Her boyfriend, Ekene Anuzurike who sells mattress at 140, Goldie told P.M.NEWS that the lady had no premonition of any impending mishap as she left their home at 39, Asuquo Nyong that fateful day.
“Her spirit was very high and she had no feelings or fear of anything happening.”
He said the girl is from Creek Town in Odukpani and had been friends with him since 2010 when she finished secondary school and came to live with him.
Mr Fred Obi, the PHCN Public Relations Officer for Cross River State, said he was not “aware of the incident” but sources at 25, Mount Zion, said P H C N staff visited the scene of the incident soon after it happened.
When P.M.NEWS visited the place on Saturday morning , the cut cable was still dangling from the pole while part of it sprawled on the road.
“NEPA people came here yesterday and said there will be light here till Monday when they would come to work on the cable” a recharge card seller close to the pole said.
—Emma Una/Calabar